Janelle Monáe lays herself bare on radio-friendly ‘Dirty Computer’

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 02: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE) Janelle Monae performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Wango Tango by AT&T at Banc of California Stadium on June 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartMedia ) less

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 02: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE) Janelle Monae performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Wango Tango by AT&T at Banc of California Stadium on June 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, ... more

Photo: Rich Polk, Getty Images For IHeartMedia

Photo: Rich Polk, Getty Images For IHeartMedia

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LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 02: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE) Janelle Monae performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Wango Tango by AT&T at Banc of California Stadium on June 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartMedia ) less

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 02: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE) Janelle Monae performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Wango Tango by AT&T at Banc of California Stadium on June 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, ... more

Photo: Rich Polk, Getty Images For IHeartMedia

Janelle Monáe lays herself bare on radio-friendly ‘Dirty Computer’

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Janelle Monáe expanded her resume with star-making turns in Oscar-nominated movies “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures.” But with her first new album in nearly five years, “Dirty Computer,” the 32-year-old singer and actress returns to making music in a grand way.

Owning her identity as a queer woman of color, she lays herself bare in songs like “Make Me Feel” and “Pynk,” adding a new layer to the story of Cyndi Mayweather (aka Jane 57821), the android who has narrated her four records since 2007. At the same time, the Prince disciple returns with a sleeker, more streamlined sound that lends itself to Earth-friendly, radio-ready songs like “Crazy, Classic, Life” and “I Got the Juice.”

Monáe is scheduled to perform at the Masonic in San Francisco on Saturday, June 16.